Molting?

Question
Hi Stacie,

When we bought our house (6 years ago) it came with 3 homing pigeons. Last winter we were down to one. This past Spring another pigeon made our place her home. Late summer they had two chicks. One has disappeared (he couldn't fly very well) but one is doing great.

My question is about the parent pigeons. Last month I noticed that there were more downy feathers around the yard than normal but I didn't think much of it. I figured the baby was losing them & getting adult ones. Today I got a close look at the adults. Both the male and female appear to be losing their head & neck feathers. It looks like more than half of them are gone ( a rather unattractive look ). This is the first time I've seen this happen since moving here. I'm concerned about their health and worried that they will be in trouble as it is getting colder out (we live in Michigan). Do you have any thoughts about what may be causing the loss of these feathers - in both birds? The baby does not appear to be losing any feathers.

Many thanks,
Sonya

Answer
Hi Sonya,

It does sound like they are experiencing a heavy molt, which is quite normal this time of year. You should see the feathers in my yard from my own!!! If they appear healthy in every other way and behave normally, I wouldn't worry. The new feathers are right there behind the old, ready to replace them. When they do loose too many feathers at once, they tend to look bald and rather ugly. I would keep an eye on them and make sure there are no other pigeons picking on them, which could also make them bald. But, I am pretty sure this is probably a molting case which will resolve in no time! If you have any other questions or concerns, don't be afraid to ask!

Thanks,
Stacie